The Time Has Come
OK, listen up folks.
This is a critical column and a critical moment for anyone who cares about the future of the News Guy, which presumably includes you because you’re reading it.
In a month, this site will be one year old.
Will it get to two?
That’s the plan. The intent is to continue through the 2010 election.
Not only to cover the campaign, which almost everybody does, but also to cover the public policy disputes surrounding the campaign, which almost nobody does.
And to do the other journalism which isn’t done elsewhere in Vermont.
But the site has to pay for itself.
Actually, it has to pay for itself, plus.
As regular readers may recall, I never thought I would “make money” from the News Guy, in the sense that it would pay the rent or finance a trip to Paris.
But I don’t want to lose money, either, and after a year of working hard at these posts, working for nothing has become unacceptable. Less for financial than for psychological reasons, a person has to be able to put a few (and I do mean a few) bucks in his pocket at the end of a week’s work.
For reasons I will briefly explain below (because I want to get to the point ASAP) for now, donations are the only realistic source of revenue (aside from the small, but much-appreciated, weekly stipend from the Stowe Reporter, with which the News Guy exchanges links; see upper right-hand corner).
So here’s the deal: Between now and December 31, the News Guy has to get donations from 200 Vermonters, or it will go out of business.
The 200 isn’t just about money, either. If there aren’t at least 200 people in this state who think this site is worth a few bucks, there’s really no point in continuing. Both you and I can use our time better.
How to contribute? Just look up and to the right, under “Pages,” where it says “Donate.” You can do it by check or via Pay Pal.
How much per contribution? Well, I’m still suggesting $24 for a year. If you can only afford less, give less. If you want to give more, please do. Out-of-state supporters, your donations are most welcome, but you don’t count as part of the 200 contributors required from Vermont.
Assuming the donations average about $24, the numerate among you will figure out that the News Guy should net some $4,800. The plan is to put half of that back into the site – doing more travelling around the state, and maybe even a little bit outside it, including one annual trip to Washington to check on our Congressional delegation and other Vermont-related goings on.
Leaving a “profit” of roughly $2,400, or $46.15 a week. That still doesn’t qualify as “making money.” It won’t pay the rent or get me much of the way to Paris.
But you know what? It’s just enough to make a fellow feel he’s not working for nothing.
Eventually, I’ll seek other sources of revenue – advertising, cooperative arrangements with other sites, perhaps a grant. All that takes time, though, and more active promotion of the site, something I’ve done hardly at all, because I’m no good at it. But I’m going to try anyway.
Here the prudent among you may ask what happens to your contributions if I don’t get enough and decide to close down the site.
Simple! I take all the money and go on a toot.
Oh, maybe not. First of all, how much of a toot can one go on up in the Northeast Kingdom? And as a famous American politician once said, “that would be wrong.”
Actually, this is easy. Checks will not be deposited unless and until a decision is made to continue. Otherwise, your money stays in your bank account. And Pay Pal provides every payer’s name and address. You’ll be repaid.
The hope here is that this will not happen, that there will be enough contributions and the site will go on. I think – or at least I want to think – that the News Guy is making a contribution to Vermont’s public conversation, and that enough people agree with that to want to keep it going another year.
If you are among those who agree, please send your contributions as soon as possible.
Oh, and one more thing: If there aren’t enough of you, and the News Guy folds, don’t blame anybody but me. Nobody’s obligated to read this stuff.
As promised, here’s a brief recap of yesterday’s election results:
In Virginia and New Jersey, Republican candidates were elected governor, in both cases replacing Democrats (in New Jersey, defeating the incumbent Democrat). To repeat what was said here Monday, the significance of these results for anyone who does not live in either state is: Nothing.
In a special Congressional race in upstate New York, the Democrat won, defeating the Conservative Party candidate who had driven the endorsed Republican from the race. and becoming the first Democrat to represent this district since William McKinley was president. A little significance here, in that the rebellion of the far right “Tea Party” wing of the GOP came a cropper. Anyone who thinks this will temper that wing’s behavior, though, is probably deluding him/her-self.
And in Maine, with about 80 percent of the vote counted, the “no” side on Question One was leading. If that lead holds, gay marriage will remain legal in Maine. The significance of that result is so obvious it need not be explained in detail. Morning update. The results did NOT hold up. The law was overturned, a major blow to the cause of gay rights.
